nmayhew

the cockpit knobs also look 'wrong' in this scale - they need to be resin or (God forbid!) turned brass if you are going to add a realistic upgrade but i will get the set probably just for the instrument panel i also have just ordered a Sutton harness from Radu as i begin to accumulate aftermarket for this beast (I did order the earlier QK harness which as intimated by Edgar is more likely correct than the QS as flagged here by Radu) so interesting how that compares with the Eduard 's which both look to be the QS??)

beware that new DAK Pz IV kit Rog - all the markings require early style drive sprockets which are not supplied (they are quite different) - the wheels are the wider sort for Ausf.E onwards, incorrect for Ausf.D; whether this is noticeable is debatable - I believe there are only two choices for *correct* aftermarket tracks, one by Modelkasten, and one by SpadeAce (I am using the latter); problem is track pins - no-one makes them so i will not be building another one of these until MasterClub enter the game - the kit is a bit of a beast to fot properly - the instructions are utter pants sorry if i have mentioned this before can you sense my frustration?!

hi Rog I am not familiar with this aircraft particularly, but i recall in the run-up to its release and immediately afterwards that Derek Bradshaw did lots of work / research on this kit? This was on LSP I believe? Anyway, it depends on how accurate you want it to be? If this is a big concern for this project, I would hop over there and search out his posts on the subject Sorry i couldn't answer myself!

nice one Dave did you heat the prop up before bending at all, or was it just 'pure muscle'??

hugely impressive overall effect, and amazing detail given the model is 99.99% perfect, could I comment on just two things? 1. in that first pic the only giveaway is the tyre which doesn't look to be sitting quite right - not 'heavy' enough 2. the brassin barrels look good from head on where you can see the hollow muzzle, but the lack of real holes in the cooling jackets is noticeable in one close up (people may know I am not a fan of these) if i ever build a B-17 i hope it is half as good as this - if it is I will be very chuffed indeed! thanks for sharing Nicholas

wonderful looking build Jeroen am very interested in the masking fluid presumably it needs rather prominent ridges in the canopy frame to work - do you think it would struggle on say a Tamiya Spitfire canopy / something where the demarcation is very subtle like the cookie (everyone loves cookies don't they?!)

when is this going to be released?

the resin breech and ammo etc looks exquisite but i am not a fan of the resin barrel - never going to be as crisp as metal, and whilst maybe you can get away with that in 1/48 and 1/32 at a stretch for certain types, these compound barrels in 1/24 just don't do it for me i wonder how many people will buy these for the former bits, and just chop off the barrels once Master do the right thing i know i will it's kind of like Eduard being stubborn in either not producing them as just the breech and ammo, or doing metal barrels themselves

i am building the Pz IV ausf D DAK model at present (6779) the kit does not go together well in places but that can be overcome the styrene tracks are pretty poor, but Spade Ace does metal links in the correct early width; the width is not a massive issue, but the pattern will be the wheels in the kit are the wrong wider type for the Ausf. E, but hard to tell unless placed directly next to correct ones (in Tristar wheels kit) the drive sprockets are wrong for the kit markings - you need the early 'type C' ones there are various other points to consider if you want to make some of the vehicles in the decals the instructions are atrocious wow - feels like i'm reviewing again!

if anyone is interested, I have just worked out the razorback in the background is "Doogan" 3T-A don't think there are decals for the artwork in anything apart for 1/72 sadly, but at least another piece of the puzzle falls into place

these look very good i will try to get a 1/32 109 set and compare to DML kit and maybe resin by Quickboost the armour stuff is interesting Grant are they on your site yet - couldn't see them just now?

i remember one glorious christmas when i was small (and it always snowed...of course) that i got both the airfix stirling AND sunderland! the stocking was bigger than my bed it seemed! anyway, i am in awe of your modelling efforts in bringing these vac-monsters to life and doing justice to these beautiful old birds thanks for bringing it to us Nick

Eh?? That's come out of the blue hasn't it? Is this a G conversion for the (excellent) DML kits yes? The kit is expensive here in Europe (often see it dirt cheap in USA) so it will be interesting to see the price of the conversion... Definitely interesting though! Please do share all the news / info you have for this Cheers Nick

i don't follow Rick (well, I actually I AM following you, but anyway...) how could you apply the artwork *before* the Alclad? can't wait to see more of this big beast! Nick

lovely stuff Rick!

That is not at all impressive I'll pass on these until I can see how easy these seams are to sort out: on plastic seams are no problem (I have sanded tank barrels numerous times and actually been surprised at how good they turn out), but on metal?? Not sure I fancy that task What a shame, but it just reinforces my overall view of Profi I am afraid

Nice one Frank But to be honest, of course they should provide the replacements free of charge - the originals are not fit for purpose Now the question is whether all future sets will be corrected before despatch??

Definitely one of the most useful and insightful reviews I have ever had the pleasure to read!!

i have (just ) one on order...looks a a bit better solution Barracuda, and more crisply cast than A2zee Mike do let us know what you think - a thumbs up from you is worth its weight in gold and all that where our Gustav friends are concerned

never got on with alclad - but i was trying to paint masks on top and found it rubbish for that (gunze paints are gargantuan in ability to resist peel off by comparison...), but that's probably just me your effects are very impressive! quick question on hairspray chipping: so you spray hairspray on, then how long until you sprayed the green on top...and then how long until you 'chipped'? really liking this model and can't wait to see more

what a whopper of a review Jim! ok work with me here guys.... i like the kit - I really do like it, and generally i think 1/24 is just too challenging to make stuff realistic, but i still bought one anyway, if Trumpeter had done this, do you think people would be saying good attempt at the stressed skin stuff, but we still have the ridiculous rivetting / divotting?? i guess the key thing is the scale up to 1/24...i am just trying to imagine one of Tamiya's 1/32 kits in 1/24 and then see how they would compare if you know what i mean? I am happy with the kit, and at anything less than say £90 (i paid £74 I think, and should have mortgaged the house to buy as many as i could at that price), i think it is tremendous value but in terms of mould quality and sharpness of detail, i think Airfix are not sitting at the same table as Tamiya they are getting there though I am also hearing Airfix are listing this as sold out, so I would snaffle one soon if you have any interest otherwise you'll be paying nearly double in a year or two's time, just like the Mosquito craziness that you see now

agreed they are not helping us to help them!

hmmmm not particularly impressed at that they get everyone all lathered up over it, it's pushed back a few times and now seems like it's a perpetual 'next year' / 'some time soon' project shame

He he nice one Mike!! Fantastic look, great finish